Dope Dealers

Young Black men standing on the corners selling marijuana and crack-cocaine are what I call dope dealers. A lot of attention has been placed on what should be done about dope dealers. They sell dope, violence surrounds their presence, they carry guns, they are the foundation of gang activity. They are the primary source of the murder of young black males. They are the most acute sign of what is wrong with the black family. WHY?

The quetions are many, the answers are few. One question seems not to have garnered much discussion, is the question WHY? Why do young black males stand on corners, hide in hallways, stand in the rain and snow, at all times of the day and night, subjecting themselves to assault, robbery and murder; risking the possibility of going to jail, all to sell dope? Why do they avoid getting legitimate jobs but instead take all these risks to make the fast money. Why? WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION?

I say the motivation is the same thing that has motivated men throughout the ages. Could it be for the prestige and recognition of the young ladies. I AM NOT SAYING IT IS YOUNG LADIES THAT ARE THE FAULT FOR DOPE DEALING. The one thing that motivates most males is being recognized by our young sisters. Adults have set the example. Adults have been the role models and our children have learned their lessons well.

Wearing the best clothes, driving the best cars, having money, that's what gets the ladies. Music video's reflect it, TV reflects it, it is reflected by the athletes and entertainers that our males admire, it is reflected in the streets. This is what our children have grown up watching. This is what they are trying to attain, The prestige of being seen with a fine young lady and the recognition you get from your peers for being with the ladies. This in my opinion is what motivates the money making behavior our young brothers are so fascinated with.

The young ladies, what do they want? Young ladies have been told by their mothers to get a man who has something, get a man that can do something for you, get a man who has some money. Wear nice clothes, get your nails done, get your hair done, get something, all of which costs money. This is all being demonstrated by their mothers and the choices that they are making. They want a man who has a good job, can buy them things, who can provide for them, somebody who can do something for them, all the things that cost money. So, a brother had better have some or make that woman think he has some or can get some. Because nobody wants a man who is broke. Our young ladies have seen this and have learned their lessons well.

Kool Mo Dee once said, 'if young ladies asked for a guy to have a college degree instead of a Mercedes Benz and a gold chain, young guys would be lined up at the college admissions office'. How do we change the aspirations of our young ladies, thus changing the motivation of our young men. That will require some work on our parts as parents and adults. We should know better than to put our focus on the material. But you couldn't tell by the way we as adults seek and place so much emphasis on material things.

Fathers and men, we need to stop sending the message to our young men that being a man is about how many ladies you can have. We need to stop giving ladies material things as a measure of our manhood. We need to learn about and develop the things that really matter, love, honesty, caring and spirituality. Mothers, you need to stop telling your daughters that a man with material things is worthy first.

Tell them to look for a man who can demonstrate love, honesty, caring, and sense of spirituality. We as parents and adults have a lot of work to do. We will have to do without a lot of the material things. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, well, if we are to change ourselves; thereby changing the examples we set for our children, we had better start learning new tricks. Our children are watching and they are learning their lessons well.

What will be the benefits of our new role modeling; we teach our young men to seek some real lessons of life. We will tell our young ladies to seek young men who have seen and learned what real life is about. All these lessons are free, Then maybe we will have a community where we no longer have dope dealers, because our young men are trying to live life and not make money.

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